Automatic placement and arrangement of content items in three-dimensional environment

A computing device, comprising:

• a processor;
• a display;
• and
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor and the display, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to:
• provide, on the display, a user interface containing a work area having a template of a 3D environment and a gallery containing models of two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) content items;
• detect, via the user interface, a user input selecting one of the models from the gallery to be inserted as an object into the template of the 3D environment;
• and
• in response to detecting the user input selecting the model, render and surface on the display, a graphical representation of the 2D or 3D content item corresponding to the selected model as the object at a location in a cylindrical coordinate system having an origin at a default viewer position in the 3D environment, wherein the location having a radius value equal to a preset distance from the origin of the cylindrical coordinate system.

A method of automatic placement and arrangement of objects in a computer-based three-dimensional (3D) environment when authoring content using a computing device having a display and a processor, the method comprising:

• with the processor of the computing device,
• providing, on the display, a user interface containing a work area having a template of a 3D environment and a gallery containing models of two-dimensional (2D) or 3D content items;
• detecting, via the user interface, a user input selecting one of the models from the gallery to be inserted as an object into the template of the 3D environment;
• and
• in response to detecting the user input selecting the model, rendering and surfacing on the display, a graphical representation of the 2D or 3D content item corresponding to the selected model as the object at a location in a cylindrical coordinate system having an origin at a default viewer position in the 3D environment, wherein the location having a radius value equal to a preset distance from the origin of the cylindrical coordinate system.